Dealing With Boredom
by Yukirei
Summary: 2: Mello finds Near in the dining hall outside mealtime and is suspicious. 1: A mysterious youth teaches Near how to deal with boredom. [Contain spoilers up to volume 7]
1. Dealing With Boredom

**Dealing With Boredom  
**_By Yukirei (a.k.a. Cosmiko Ling)_

**Warning:** Spoilers up to volume 7  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Death Note or any of its characters. Death Note belongs to Ohba Tsugumi-sensei and Obata Takeshi-sensei, the creator and artist behind Death Note whom we should thank for bringing us such a wonderful series. This is a non-profit fanfiction written by a fan, for the enjoyment of other fans.  
**Summary:** A mysterious youth teaches Near how to deal with boredom.  
**A/N:** In Death Note time, this takes place a few years before 2005._

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Near stared emptily at the floor. His fingers brushed slowly over the cold tile.

A minute ago, a "new" box of jigsaw puzzle had laid there. "New" not because it was newly purchased, but because it was one that Near had not attempted before.

It was gone now. A fellow child of the orphanage had snatched it away from Near's hands as Near was about to empty the contents onto the floor, laughing mean-spiritedly as he ran out of the room.

"Why do you look so sad?"

Near looked up at the voice and saw a pale, lanky youth standing before him, bent slightly to peer at him.

He stared into the youth's dark eyes, and at the dark eye bags under them, for a long moment before answering.

"Mello took away my puzzle." The child's voice had a whiny tinge in it.

The youth didn't blink. "Why does that make you sad?"

Near looked at the youth, realising that he didn't seem to have seen him before. Furthermore, most of the children at the home were younger. Still, something compelled him to reply.

"There are no other interesting things that I can play with."

"Anything around you can be interesting."

The youth straightened to a slouch, shuffled to the fireplace, and sat down by the basket of cones beside it. He drew his legs close to his chest, and picked up a dried pinecone, holding it between his thumb and finger with minimum contact surface area.

Near got up from the floor and walked to the fireplace.

The youth placed the cone on the floor and reached for another from the basket.

Near sat down.

Precisely, the youth balanced the second cone on top of the first, and then reached for a third.

Near watched for a few seconds then picked a cone from the basket.

Placing it on the floor, he took a second and placed it carefully on the first.

The third wouldn't stay on. Near set it on the second and it fell off. He tried a second time; the second cone rolled off after the third.

Near's eyes flicked to the youth who was reaching for his seventh cone. Then he picked up the cone and scrutinised it, noting the irregular surface, the rises and the dips.

"It requires concentration and precision."

Near looked up. The youth wasn't looking at him, but at the seventh cone as he added it to his tower, his other hand at his lips, chewing on his thumb. "It helps focus."

Near looked down at the cones by his legs. Then he picked up one.

The warm fire crackled merrily, filling the silence.

"And it's something you can do anywhere to deal with boredom," the youth's flat voice sounded.

Near paused briefly as he placed his tenth cone on his tower, and smiled.

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Date written: 15 January 2006 

Post-fic A/N:  
Inspired by how Near was stacking towers of dice and matchsticks and remembering how L builds towers of little cups of creamer/milk. And though I don't know much about fireplaces and pinecones, I charged ahead with the idea.

Feedback is most welcome. However, **please respect my aversion to spoilers and do not reveal information beyond Chapter 79 (Volume 9) in your reviews. Thanks!**


	2. Toothpick Over Toothpick

**Dealing With Boredom: Toothpick Over Toothpick  
**_By Yukirei (a.k.a. Cosmiko Ling)_

**Warning:** Spoilers up to volume 7  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Death Note or any of its characters. Death Note belongs to Ohba Tsugumi-sensei and Obata Takeshi-sensei, the creator and artist behind Death Note whom we should thank for bringing us such a wonderful series. This is a non-profit fanfiction written by a fan, for the enjoyment of other fans.  
**Summary:** Mello finds Near in the dining hall outside mealtime and is suspicious.  
**A/N:** In Death Note time, this ficlet should take place somewhere in 2004, or the recent few years leading up to it. The time doesn't really matter.  
_

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When Mello passed the dining hall on his way outside, he caught sight of a lone figure sitting at one of the long tables.

The dining hall was usually empty outside meal times. Thus, curiosity aroused, Mello walked in.

He found Near slouching over a short tower of toothpicks on the table.

_Did Roger ask for him to be here for some reason?_ Mello wondered, eyeing Near suspiciously as he strode towards the table.

Near glanced up at Mello, then returned his attention to placing the next toothpick on his growing tower.

Mello took a seat diagonally across Near - where he could keep an eye on him, yet not be too close - determined not to miss out if Near truly was under some special instructions from Roger. He looked from the pile of toothpicks on the table, emptied from their holding container, to the tower of toothpicks that Near was building.

To Mello, Near was not merely another fellow child at the home; he was a rival, a point to overtake, an annoyance.

Their home was not merely an ordinary orphanage, it was an institute to discover and develop a successor for L. Near and Mello were the ones showing the greatest potential, that much Mello was told; Near performed the best, and he was second. If anything were to happen to the L, one of them would take his position. Mello wanted that person to be him.

Thus, Near was a rival - for the position of L, a point to overtake - so that he would no longer be second, an annoyance - without whom, he would be first _and_ the sole candidate to succeed L's position.

Mello stared at Near as he placed toothpick over toothpick. Then, he turned and grabbed the container of toothpicks placed on the table in front of him, emptied its contents on the otherwise empty space and quickly began to build a tower in the same way.

Laying toothpicks in a # formation.

He would be faster, his tower would be taller... **he would be better than Near!**

Mello cast a glance at Near as his tower gained height. Near was still placing toothpicks at his own leisurely pace, not even looking at Mello. Mello grinned inwardly. His tower was almost 3/4 the height of Near's now. As long as he continued at this speed, he would soon overtake Near!

Toothpick over toothpick.

Then suddenly, Mello's tower toppled. The hastily-built, improperly-balanced tower crashed to the table. Mello froze, his hand held mid-air, one toothpick still between his finger and thumb. Toothpicks flew in all directions. Most lay in a messy spread over the table. Some fell to the seats. Some dropped to the floor.

Near looked up at the movement.

Mello scowled. He looked up and his scowl deepened as he caught Near's eye.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Mello snapped.

"I'm just waiting for dinner."

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Date written: 15 January 2006 

Feedback is most welcome. However, **please respect my aversion to spoilers and do not reveal information beyond chapter 98 (volume 11) in your reviews. Thanks!**


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